Marrying a Stranger for a Friend
by pyroleigh
Summary: We all have that best friend we'd do anything for... Marth puts that to test when he falls in love with a refugee who refuses to leave his sister behind for his own happiness, leaving Ike in the awkward spot of marrying a complete stranger. ZeldaXIke, MarthXLink. T for now, most likely will change.
1. Chapter 1

Zelda woke up everyday afraid for her life. Ever since the revolution started in Hyrule, a brutal war she didn't understand, she was on the run. The only constant in her life was her brother Link. Together they hid, ran, and scrounged for scraps to call their meals. This was how it had been for them for twelve years. Twelve years of running, twelve years of hiding, and it was starting to weigh them down. If something didn't change soon they wouldn't last much longer.

XxX

Marth sighed a nervous yet excited noise as he stepped from his tent in the war torn country of Hyrule. He was here to help people and that's exactly what he was going to do. He moved to the food line, smiling warmly at the sad faces that greeted him. They were all haunted by past images, past happenings, but Marth knew he would do whatever it took to keep them safe.

He had grown up wanting for nothing, with a family that had everything and more money than all of them could ever spend combined. He always felt indebted to those around him, not entitled. A fact proven by his best friend in the world; two boys from very different backgrounds that grew up closer than brothers.

His boots crunched on the dried earth beneath his feet as he walked to the medical tent, his curiosity getting the best of him. He wanted to know what these people were really going through and one of the other volunteers had said they had new refugees in that needed minor medical attention. "You can do this Marth," he reassured himself with a nod as he entered the tent, bracing himself for the worst.

XxX

Zelda sat on the edge of Link's cot, holding his hand tightly as they waited for one of the relief workers to come back by. She stared at the bandage wrapped around his arm nervously, not wanting it to get infected. "Hello there," a smiling blue haired man came into view, a clipboard in his hands, "my name's Marth and..." he trailed off as he looked up, his eyes locking with Link's. Zelda sat there, a tiny smile threatening to come to her lips as she looked between her brother and the stranger. She had known for years that Link wasn't into women, but he had been so consumed with survival lately that he hadn't shown interest in anyone. And judging by the intense red coloring this Marth's cheeks... he was feeling it too. "Uh," he looked back to his clipboard and Zelda squeezed Link's hand with a nod to the newcomer. Link shook his head quickly, the unspoken 'he's interested' obviously making Link nervous. "I'm sorry I don't have a name for you Mister-"

"Link," Link said carefully and Zelda would've sworn Marth let out a small whine.

"Link," Marth repeated as he wrote it down. He looked to Zelda and she watched his brow furrow at the sight of their entwined hands. "And you're-"

"His sister Zelda," she said with a small smile. She stressed the word sister a little, wanting him to catch on, and was pretty sure he did when he smiled warmly at them again.

"Well it's very nice to meet both of you," he said, eyes going back to Link as he set the clipboard aside. "What seems to be the trouble?"

XxX

Within no time Zelda knew her brother was harboring a crush on the man named Marth, one she was sure was returned. He would sit with Link for hours, telling him of his country back home, wild tales from his childhood involving a boy who was still his friend today, and he would listen in kind to every shaky word that left Link's lips. She watched as Marth lingered beside her brother's cot, a hand trailing down his arm unnecessarily, a smile and eyes shining with unspoken thoughts.

"Link," she whispered to him as Marth walked away, a doctor talking to him in hushed tones, "you know we can't risk this."

"Risk what?" Link asked distractedly, eyes following Marth around the medical tent.

"Link we have to stay on the move," she said and he looked to her, a heartbreaking amount of sadness in his eyes. "Besides that these people come and go and we'll never see him again and-"

"Hey Link," Marth came bounding up to them with a shy smile, "if you'd like to join us they're playing a movie in the main tent later... Of course you can join us too Zelda I-"

"We'd love to," Link cut him off and Zelda watched Marth's cheeks somehow flush a deeper shade of red. She glanced to Link to see him smiling and she sighed. He had it bad.

XxX

After the movie and lingering for as long as he could around Link, Marth was sitting on his bed, sending a quick video message to his best friend back home as he fought off tears of homesickness. "I miss it back home I really do I just... I feel I'm doing good here you know? There's this awesome brother and sister here that have been her for about a week now and they are so incredible... Before you tease me yes the brother is handsome but I don't think he's interested-"

"Marth?" Link's voice made him shriek in shock and drop the phone guiltily. He whirled, eyes wide to see Link standing there fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Are you busy?"

"No," Marth shook his head quickly. "What's up Link?"

"Uh," Link stepped in slowly, eyes on his worn out shoes, "can I ask who you were talking about?" He looked up and Marth blushed violently, fearful to admit to the handsome man that he had meant him. They were supposed to be helping these people, not falling for them.

"I-I I meant you," he said softly and Link's eyes shot up, locking with his and Marth tensed, waiting for the bomb of disgust to drop. "I'm sorry I know it's inappropriate and I-" Link moved forward, catching Marth off guard as he pulled him to his feet and pressed his lips to his. Marth was startled, but not enough to not respond, which he did so eagerly. Marth's slender hands came up and tangled themselves in Link's hair, not wanting to let go or break contact. In an instant Marth knew this was what he needed and wanted in his life everyday. He needed Link, needed this explosion of emotion, this endless experience of ecstasy.

XxX

Ike growled out a few curses as his phone chimed to a new message, the happy trill startling him back into consciousness with a jolt. "Fucking shit," he mumbled as he grabbed the phone. He glared at the bright screen as it came into focus, wondering what Marth had to send him at such a bad time on his side of the globe. Sighing heavily as he hit play, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. When it came down to it Ike knew there was no fighting the fact that Marth would always win.

The video started with a vaguely teary eyed Marth going on and on about how much he missed Ike, missed the burger joint down the road... A smirk came to Ike's lips as he started talking about some guy he had met. And then said man came into his tent and Ike's eyebrow twitched up as the video took an... interesting turn and he had to stop watching. Seeing Marth lock lips with a guy was one thing. When hands started moving below the belt Ike drew the line. He chuckled as he laid back down, hoping his friend was having fun as he tried to banish the awkward mental images the last few seconds of video brought on.

XxX

Zelda stared at her brother as he moved to sit beside her at the table for breakfast, the two of them almost lost in a sea of pointed eared refugees. "What?" he asked after a moment and Zelda narrowed her eyes.

"Where'd you go last night?" she asked and Link ducked his head to avoid her gaze. "Link what did you do?"

"I talked with Marth," he said softly and Zelda's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Well we... didn't just talk..."

"Link!" Zelda dropped her voice to a whisper. "What does that mean?"

"We..." he waved with his hand in a vague motion and grinned. "We had fun."

"Goddesses sakes Link!" she said in a fierce whisper. "I-"

"I think I'm in love," he said, cutting her off with such a serious tone she closed her mouth. "I've never been in love like this before but I think this is it. He's... He's perfect," he breathed the last word and Zelda shook her head.

"It's only been a week," Zelda pointed out and Link shrugged with a smirk.

"Sometimes that's all it takes," he said with a grin and Zelda rolled her eyes. Love was for fools.

 **XXX**

 **Question for you! What is one thing I don't have? If you responded with self control you are right my friend! Ha yes this is another new idea from yours truly. Let me know what you think! much love, Leigh**


	2. Chapter 2

Marth hugged Link tightly as they laid in his cot for the night, his face buried in his chest. He had to leave the next morning, his three months of volunteer work in Hyrule were over and he had to go home. He looked up into the eyes of the man he loved and felt a pang of sorrow. This with him was home. Laying in Link's arms as silence settled over the camp, falling asleep with his heartbeat as his lullaby... he couldn't leave that behind. "Link," he leaned his head back, eyes searching the taller man's. He saw his own sorrow reflected there and took a deep breath. "I want you to come back with me."

"What?" Link asked, voice sounding stunned.

"I don't want to live without you, I don't think I can," Marth said fervently. "Come back with me and we'll be together we can get married and-"

"As good as that sounds love," Link said sadly, a hand caressing Marth's cheek softly, "I can't."

"Why not?" Marth felt tears pricking at his eyes. He didn't understand. They loved each other, they could be together.

"I can't leave Zelda alone here," he said with a sigh. "She's the only family I have left and we promised to always be there for each other... If I could I would Marth," he hugged Marth tighter, Marth's brain struggling to register and understand what he just heard. Link couldn't come with him. The thought hurt more than it should for only having known the other man for three months.

"There's gotta be something we can do," Marth insisted, trying to think of a solution. He knew he could call his father's team of lawyers and get all of the paperwork they would need approved and ready in around a month but Zelda was another story. He couldn't just bring her into the country. She needed a reason to be coming in. He could get Link in legally with marriage, yes it was fast but he felt it was worth it. How could he...

An idea struck him, one he wasn't sure would work. Marth looked up at Link and kissed his chin gently, making the blonde look down at him curiously. "What was that for?" he asked and Marth smirked.

"I have an idea, but I don't know if you'll like it."

"What?" Link asked, raising a hand from Marth's back to run through the tangled blue mop.

"If you marry me I can get you out of here. If Zelda were to marry someone she could get out of here."

"You want my sister to just marry a random person?" Link asked incredulously and Marth shook his head quickly.

"No, not a random person. I was thinking she could marry Ike."

"Your friend?" Link clarified disbelievingly. "Marth I want this as bad as you but I don't think he will just agree to-"

"I know he would never agree to it," Marth said with a slightly wicked smile, "but I have a secret weapon that'll change his mind."

XxX

Ike stood by the gate waiting on Marth. He rocked back and forth on his feet as he waited, trying to appear as casual as possible. He had missed his best friend, a fact that was obvious as soon as Marth was in view. "Marth!" Ike beamed at him, moving forward through the throng of people to wrap his friend up in a bone crushing hug. "You are not allowed to ever leave me again," he said in a happy voice as he looked down at Marth. He noted the nervous way Marth wasn't meeting his gaze and he took a half step back. He knew the 'avoiding looking you in the eye because something is going on' look. "Talk to me."

"Ike I have something huge to tell you and something huge to ask you," Marth said all in a rush. "Can we go back to your place to talk?"

"Uh... yeah," Ike nodded, worry twisting his gut at what he had to say and together they walked through the bustling airport terminal.

XxX

Zelda leaned on Link as he watched the sky, his blue eyes reflecting the light beautifully. "He's going to get us out of here," Link said with such conviction Zelda didn't have the heart to tell him that no one in their right mind would agree to marrying a complete stranger. "I know it's not the best arrangement but you'll see, we'll be out of here as soon as he can get us through the system."

"Link," Zelda shook her head and wrapped a loving arm around her brother, "I love you, but I think you need to come to terms with the fact that he could quite possibly never return." Link whirled on her, hurt and anger on his face.

"He's coming back," he said firmly, "I know he will."

XxX

"You want me to what?!" Ike demanded incredulously, obviously hoping he had heard his best friend wrong.

"I need you to marry Zelda, Link's sister so he can come here and be with me," Marth said in a tone that suggested he was tired of rephrasing the statement for the twenty plus time.

"I am not marrying some stranger," Ike said with a laugh. "I don't know her, I don't know Link I don't-"

"Ike I love him," Marth said, playing one of two of his trump cards against his lifelong best friend. Ike always was, and would always be, a hopeless romantic at heart. "I love him in a way I didn't believe in."

"Marth," Ike sighed and shook his head, "there are how many billions of people in this world? And you just happen to fall in love with the one that requires a fuckload of sacrifice on my part. You could meet someone tomorrow that-"

"Ike I don't want to meet anyone else," Marth said softly. "I love him." Ike opened his mouth and shut it, his eyes hardening. Marth steeled himself for what he was going to say next. It wasn't fair, it was manipulation at it's finest. All's fair in love and war though, as they say. "He loves me and wants to be with me but he has to take care of his sister too Ike. Their parents are dead and... Come on Ike could you leave Mist?" Ike tensed up as Marth named his little sister, his eyes widening. "If the woman of your dreams, the only person for you in the entire world begged you to move away with her but you had to leave Mist behind in a place where she could be killed or raped-"

"I wouldn't go," Ike answered, eyes focused on his hands that were clenched into tight fists.

"It's the same for Link, he can't leave her because they are all they have... It's been that way for them for twelve years." Marth waited now, looking his friend's face over. Ike's expression was hard to read, his face alarmingly neutral. After a pregnant pause Ike sighed and looked up at him, his dark blue eyes showing defeat. Marth held his breath, not wanting to get his hopes up just in case.

"Dammit Marth," Ike sighed and shook his head, "do you know what this would mean? If I were to go through with this I would be marrying a total absolute complete stranger and for what? I would be..." he trailed off, eyes locking with Marth's for the first time since they had sat down on Ike's worn couch. "I can't believe it," he muttered to himself as he ran a hand down his face. "What would I have to do?"

XxX

"Excuse me?" a relief worker looked between Zelda and Link curiously as they sat there helping some of the small children work on their writing. "Link we have a video call for you coming in from Marth-"

"Marth?" Link was on his feet in an instant, eyes hopeful and happy as he looked to Zelda. She bit her lips together and stood up, moving to follow him to the structure where they kept the computers. She didn't want to remind him that this could be a break up call, or him telling them that his friend wouldn't go through it, he had seemed so happy to hear from the man that had stolen his heart.

They stepped into the cool room, Zelda sighing in relief from the heat. She looked to a vacant desk where a monitor sat, Marth's face filling the screen. "Link!" he said happily and Zelda was almost left behind in her brother's rush to see his boyfriend.

"Marth," Link almost whined his name as he sat at the desk, scooting the chair as close as he could. "I miss you how are you?"

"I miss you too and I'm okay," he said with a nod and noticed Zelda hanging out in the background. "Hiya Zelda!" he said with a wave and she waved back nervously, a feeling settling into the pit of her stomach.

"Have you talked with your friend?" Link asked Marth nodded, taking a deep breath. "What did he say Marth?"

"He said yes!" Marth exclaimed excitedly and Link let out a breath of relief. Meanwhile Zelda felt a pool of dread forming in the pit of her stomach. "I've already got the lawyers working everything out and because of my father's connections I should be able to come get you guys in less than a month." Link smiled into the screen, finally turning his eyes to Zelda and giving her a reassuring grin. Zelda tried to return the gesture but it felt forced and probably looked as fake as it felt.

"He really said yes?" Zelda asked softly and Marth nodded.

"I may or may not have manipulated him but he did," he said and she shook her head slowly. "He's a good man Zelda, trust me you won't regret this."

"Right," she said with a heavy sigh.

"Zelda?" Link's voice was soft and pleading. "Be nice and get out for a minute?" she nodded and waved at Marth before quickly leaving the cool room and having the heat slap her in the face. She gulped down the hot air and let it out in one big breath. She was getting married off to a man she hadn't even seen before. She had known this was a possibility the second Link had broached the topic with her but she never thought that Marth's friend would go for it. The dread climbed up her throat and she let out a shaky whine. What horror had she gotten herself into?

XxX

Ike hated wearing suits, hated sitting in the law offices of any lawyer ever, and was beginning to feel every fiber of his being screaming at him to tell Marth he wouldn't go through with this ridiculous idea. The lead lawyer of the obese trio set down papers in front of him and Ike looked to Marth who nodded eagerly. "Fuck," he breathed under his breath as he leaned forward to grab the designer pen that probably cost more than he'd ever spent on writing supplies in his life. He uncapped the gold plated pen and shifted in his seat, eyes scanning the document before him. Steadying his breath, he lowered the pen to the paper, scribbling his signature on the line open for him. With the "l" in Greil permanently inked onto the embossed thick paper, Ike sat back with a sigh.

"Thank you Mister Greil," one of the lawyers spoke and Ike nodded absentmindedly. What the hell had he just done?

"Ike you're officially the best in the world," Marth said with a smile that could light up the city and Ike grinned at him.

"When will all this happen?" he asked and Marth bit his lips. "Marth," Ike said his best friend's name, a warning in his tone.

"I've already got the plane ticket over there for me purchased, and pending this passing I have tickets for the three of us to return. So to answer your question," he spoke over Ike's forming protest, "about two weeks."

"Two weeks," Ike echoed him and Marth nodded.

"Two weeks and you'll be a married man," he said and Ike felt the weight of those words hit him like a freight train. "So," Marth continued with a smile, "if you have any wild oats left to sow-"

"Holy shit," Ike said as he clapped a hand over his mouth. "Holy fucking shit."

"What?" Marth asked nervously, worry in his tone.

"How the fuck am I going to explain this to my mom?"

 **XXX**

 **Ahem... Thank you for reading and a big thank you to my follow, favorite, and review leaving badass peeps: FireEmblemNerd0909 and concisponci! Let me know what you think, much love Leigh**


	3. Chapter 3

"You did what?!" Ike flinched as his mother raised her voice. She had her hands on her hips, her long blue hair piled in a sloppy bun, her eyes wide with shock.

"I'm getting married to a woman from Hyrule," he said again, tensing as she huffed.

"Why is this the first I'm hearing about this?" she asked, her usually happy eyes lacking their luster as she glared at her only son. "You just decided to throw away your life and future-"

"Mom seriously you're overreacting," he said with a chuckle and she narrowed her eyes.

"Have you even seen this girl?" she asked and he ducked his head. "You, the one who wouldn't let me introduce him to a coworker before you saw a picture of her first just let your gay best friend pick your wife?"

"It's not like that Mom," he said quickly, feeling his eye twitch. This wasn't what he expected. This is the woman that when he told her his best friend was gay praised the kid and helped break the news to his more conservative parents. "Marth fell in love with Link and they want to be together but Link can't leave his sister behind-"

"And how did Marth talk you into this crazy idea?" she asked and he opened his mouth only to shut it slowly. "Let me guess he brought up Mist?" She crossed her arms as Ike nodded. "Ike Greil I love you with all my heart but this is crazy and you should call Marth and tell him you can't do this. You're marrying a stranger so she can get citizenship so your best friend and his boyfriend sleep better at night. Neither one thought about you or her in this situation."

"What do you mean?" Ike asked with a furrowed brow.

"You were guilted and manipulated into this, and this poor girl is being strung along with her brother to a new country she's never been in, she's being separated from her only family member, and she's marrying a guy she's only heard stories about all because her brother has fallen in love. It's really not very fair for either of you and for the first time in my life I don't approve of Marth's actions. I know I've always called him my other son but this isn't right. You'd think with all his family's money he'd have the connections to get her over here... Do you really want to do this Ike?" she asked with a sigh of acceptance and he bit his lower lip, staring at the stained tips of his worn out converse.

"I don't know her," he said as he looked up at his mom, a small grin on his lips, "but I want to help her. I've looked into it and worst case scenario I just have to be married to her for one year, then she's a legal citizen on her own and we can go our separate ways."

"There's no way to talk you out of this huh?" She looked up at him and Ike shook his head as he pulled her in for a hug. Elena rubbed her hand on his back gently, and Ike felt better about himself. "When is she getting here?"

"Marth flew over there this morning , they'll be here in a few days," he said with a nervous grin and she laughed, squeezing him tight.

"You know I think this is crazy, but I'm proud of you," she said and he chuckled into her hair before stepping back.

XxX

Zelda stared in disbelief as Marth descended the steps from the small private plane, a smile on his lips a mile wide as he saw Link standing there. "Marth!" Zelda jumped as her brother ran forward, a smile coming to her lips to see Marth practically leap off the steps to greet him with a hug and passionate kiss.

"I'm never leaving you again," Marth said firmly when they pulled away. He looked past his fiancé and gave Zelda a big smile. "Heya Zelda," he waved and she gave him a little nervous wave. "Once they fuel up we'll be able to go okay?" He took Link's hand in his and Zelda felt her nerves getting the best of her. Could she really do this?

XxX

Ike stood nervously outside the judge's chambers, fidgeting with his dark gray button down shirt he had tucked into his black slacks. This was the day. He was about to meet and marry her. "Zelda," he whispered her name as he glanced at the door for the thousandth time. He was nervous. Scared. He had no idea how to describe what he was feeling. His stomach was in knots and he wondered why people got married. "You can do this," he mumbled to himself, heart speeding up alarmingly fast when he saw Marth enter, the blonde man from the video hot on his heels. Marth beamed at him, practically running towards him, but Ike's eyes were on the brunette that followed the blonde in.

She was beautiful, easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life, and she was nervously looking around, a hand on the blonde man's arm. "Ike!" Marth collided with him and Ike let out a grunt as he absentmindedly hugged his friend back, eyes not able to leave the duo walking towards him. "Ike this is Link," Marth smiled as he detached himself from Ike. Ike looked at the tanned skin and dark circles under Link's eyes, the heavy steps that hinted at his hard life. Ike held out his hand for Link to shake, unsure of what to say. Link took it, Ike noting the dry callouses so similar and yet so different to his own.

"It's nice to meet you," Ike said, watching the man before him size him up.

"And you as well," he spoke, voice soft and rough from disuse. Ike let his hand go and turned to Zelda, even more unsure what to say to her. She looked up at him, terror shining in her eyes hidden by a mask of stoicism Ike had to admire. "This is Zelda," Link offered after a moment and Ike gave her a grin, hoping it didn't look as nervous as he felt. She gave him a shaky smile and he tried to kickstart his stalled brain for something to say to her.

"Excuse me," the judge's aide poked her head out the door, "the judge will see you now Mister Greil and Miss Nohansen." Ike nodded and turned to Zelda. She blushed under his gaze and he held out a hand. Time froze for a moment as she stared at the offered hand.

XxX

Zelda took Ike's outstretched hand, liking the roughened skin as he laced their fingers and led her into the office behind the aide, her brother and Marth behind them to be witnesses. They walked in and the judge smiled up at them, standing from his desk to shake their hands. They moved to the designated section where they would say their vows, Zelda feeling more nervous now than ever. This was actually happening.

"Okay now face each other," the judge said with a smile, "and hold both hands." Ike turned to her, a grin on his lips that she was surprised soothed her worries a little. "Ike repeat after me..." Zelda watched Ike's lips repeat the vows of marriage as his deep voice washed over her in waves, his eyes on her as he did, his grin never leaving his lips. Was he happy for this? Maybe this wouldn't be as awful as she thought.

"Now Zelda," the judge turned his attention to her and she began repeating after him, eyes on Ike who squeezed her hands reassuringly. Vows repeated, the judge smiled at them. "I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss your bride." Ike let out a little chuckle and she felt her lips shake with nerves as he leaned towards her, giving her a quick wink before pressing his lips to hers gently. The kiss was chaste and innocent, as quick as it started it was over, and Zelda let out a shaky breath as they stepped to the side to allow Marth and Link to come forward.

XxX

Ike held Zelda's hand as they left the building, the duo not saying a word as he led her to his truck. They made it, him feeling slightly embarrassed by the beat up old pick up he had inherited from his dad. It wasn't anything like the fancy sports coupe Marth drove, but it was reliable. "I'm sorry to tell you this," he said as he opened the passenger side door for her, "but your brother married the rich one."

"I don't mind," she said with a small shy smile, one that made his heart skip a beat to see. She sat and he shut the door, jogging to the driver's side with a smirk on his lips.

"So," he said as he sat behind the wheel, looking to her with a heavy sigh, "hi I'm Ike."

"Hi," she said with a little laugh, "I'm Zelda."

"And we're married now," he added with a chuckle and she looked at him, her eyes curious.

"Did you want to do this?" she asked and Ike let out another chuckle as he turned to face her, eyes running over the beauty before him.

"I wanted to help, Marth kinda manipulated me, and I don't know I just..." he trailed off, studying the hard life written in her tired eyes. "I'm glad I did, no matter how I felt."

"Did Marth show you a picture of me or-"

"No," Ike shook his head with a self conscious chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, "in fact I was honestly worried you'd be... a nightmare." Zelda smiled at him.

"And am I?" she asked and he shook his head, fighting to keep his eyes on hers.

"No, you're beautiful," he answered honestly and she blushed, looking away as she raised a hand to cover her cheek. "So be honest," he as he turned the key in the ignition, "were you worried about me?"

"Honestly? Yes," she nodded. Ike could sense the silent 'still are' and scowled to himself.

"Don't worry Zelda," he said as he put the truck in drive, "you're only stuck with me for a year."

 **XXX**

 **Married! What does the future hold? Love? Hate? Who knows? (I do!) quick side note here I didn't base the whole "marry for a year" thing off of any law, so no flaming me on that in just going off of the fact that if you live in a state for a year you're a resident so... It's probably way wrong but I don't care (they just don't live stateside). Now then, thank you Helios. and concisponci for reviewing last chapter! It makes my day to get the alerts. Anyway, let me know what you think! Much love, Leigh**


	4. Chapter 4

Ike walked with Zelda up to the door of his apartment, mind reeling from the awkward ride and everything hanging unspoken between them. He wanted her to know that he wasn't going to hurt her, wasn't going to do any of the things she was probably thinking he would, but he found himself unable to form the words as he stopped in front of the door to what was now their apartment. He turned to her as he unlocked the door and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring grin. "Welcome home."

XxX

The place was cozy, that was Zelda's first thought as she stepped across the threshold for the first time. A worn leather couch, a matching recliner, and coffee table were arraigned around a decent sized tv, the kitchen was tidy with a bowl of apples and bananas on the island, and the cracked door at the other end of the living room led to what she was pretty sure was now their bedroom.

"I know it's not much," Ike said and she turned to see him blushing slightly, obviously embarrassed by the lack of wealth so apparent with Marth, "but this is home and-"

"I like it," she cut him off, smiling to hear his sigh of relief. "Besides Ike I've been running every day of my life for the past twelve years..." she trailed off as she walked up to him, watching him tense slightly, "having a home is something I thought I'd never have again." Standing right in front of Ike, her husband, Zelda dared to think that maybe things wouldn't be so bad for her. He was attractive, very attractive if she was being honest with herself, and maybe if she just went along with whatever he wanted he'd go easy on her. With that thought she gripped the front of his shirt and pulled his lips down to hers.

She expected him to kiss her back, hell she expected him to be all over her, but he surprised her by pulling back quickly, his eyes surprised.

"What was that?" he asked as he took Zelda's hands from the front of his shirt, holding them in his own.

"I-I thought that if I showed you I will go along with what you want-"

"Zelda," Ike whispering her name made goosebumps crawl up her skin, "you're beautiful and I'm not going to lie if the situation was different, like if we met at a bar or something, I'd be all over you... But this situation is vastly different from a normal one. I'm not the best guy in the world Zelda but I'm not going to make you do anything that you don't want to alright?" She was stunned into silence, shocked beyond words as his eyes searched hers, looking for understanding.

"So you don't want me?" she asked and he chuckled as he shook his head and brought her hands to his lips, kissing both of them gently.

"That's not what I said." He let her hands go and dug in his pocket, pulling out his phone and sighing. "Hey mom, what's up?" he said into the phone, Zelda watching his brow furrow as he glanced up at her. "Uh, lemme ask I'll call you back." He hung up and Zelda heard his slight sigh.

"Is everything okay?" she asked and he gave her a nod.

"My mom wants to meet you," he said and Zelda paled. "She's nice don't worry..." He trailed off and Zelda felt him studying her. "You know what? We won't go, we'll get settled tonight and worry about you meeting her-"

"I'll go," she said, forcing her voice to be steady. "I'd rather have it done."

"It won't be that bad," Ike said with a grin, "I promise."

XxX

Ike held the door to his mother's house open for Zelda, liking that she opted to take his hand when she crossed into the carpeted entryway to his childhood home. "Mom?" he called out as they stepped into the modest living room, Zelda's eyes roaming over the framed pictures and various knick knacks.

"In the kitchen honey!" Her response made him smile and he turned to Zelda.

"She's gonna like you, don't worry."

"Are you sure?" Zelda asked in a whisper and he nodded with a grin, squeezing her hand gently before pulling her through the living room to the kitchen. He looked over the pastel colored appliances he had watched her use when he was a kid, the classic dish rag over Elena's shoulder as she turned to greet them, and the most amazing smell of a freshly made pie in her hands.

"Mom I love you," he said and she laughed as she set it on the counter, her eyes moving to Zelda. "Oh Mom this is Zelda, Zelda this is my mom Elena." He watched his mother look at their entwined hands and felt self conscious about it. He tried to remove his hand from hers and felt Zelda tighten her grip.

"Hello Zelda," Elena said with a smile, "it's nice to meet my new daughter in law."

"It's very nice to meet you," Zelda said and Ike chuckled as he watched them awkwardly stand there.

"Mom," he finally butted in on the stretching silence, "whatcha making?"

"Oh I found this roast on sale and I'm doing that with roasted vegetables and of course," she indicated the pie, "a nice apple pie."

"Wow," Zelda said softly and Ike managed to pull his hand from hers and instead put it behind her back, urging her a half step forward. Elena ran a motherly eye over her, scowling at the way her shirt hung off of her, the way her pants were ill fitting, and the way her brunette tresses hung lifelessly down her back.

"I'm not letting you leave the table before you've gained at least a few pounds girl," she said sweetly, her eyes looking to Ike. "Are you guys thirsty? Ike get her something to drink."

"You got it," he turned to Zelda and smiled. "What do you want?"

"Oh I," she shook her head and Ike wondered when the last time she had a choice was.

"Do you like lemonade honey?" Elena asked and Ike watched Zelda's eyes light up. "I made some from the lemons from the trees out back Ike get her a glass of that."

"As you wish," Ike said with a bow, earning him a towel smack from her and a smile from Zelda.

XxX

Zelda was officially in heaven. As Ike poured her another glass of lemonade and Elena fussed over the roast, she decided that this wasn't anything close to what she had been afraid of. Ike was teasing his mother about something she didn't understand and Elena fired back with a sharp retort about him, Zelda found herself smiling along as she raised her glass to her lips. "Zelda do you like potatoes? I can still make this boy peel and cook some up if you want," Elena asked and she looked to Ike, him already grabbing a bag full of russet potatoes with a wink in her direction.

"I make better potatoes Mom," he fired and she scoffed at him.

"In your dreams boy," she said over her shoulder and Zelda smiled into her cup.

"I make a better spicy steak at least, admit that," he said as he pulled out a vegetable peeler and began working on the potatoes.

"You make it so spicy you're the only one who can stomach it," she fired and he chuckled, Zelda watching him put the peels in a bowl.

"You're still composting right?" he asked over his shoulder.

"You know it. Oh Zelda," Elena looked at her and Zelda felt a smile coming to her lips; it had been years since anyone other than Link had looked at her with such concern, "what's your favorite food?"

"Mom," Ike's voice held a note of urgency and before he could add further she spoke up.

"It's been years since I've had it but my mother used to make this rice dish with hylian peppers and cheese and it was amazing," she said and watched as Ike beamed at his mother.

"She's going to like my steak," he said with a grin and Elena rolled her eyes.

"No one but you can eat that," she said and looked to Zelda. "How's it made? Can you buy the peppers here?"

"They probably have them at the fancy grocery store Marth goes to," Ike remarked as he dropped the peeled and chopped potatoes into a big bowl. "I can ask him about it, hell he probably bought some when he got back and was missing Link."

"He really missed my brother?" Zelda asked and Ike looked at her, a grin on his lips.

"Like he's never missed anyone before," his answer made her smile and nervously pick up her glass again, going to take a sip only to find it empty. "I think she likes the lemonade Mom," he said and Zelda blushed as she lowered her glass to the table.

"Well get her some more," Elena chided over her shoulder and Ike chuckled as he placed the pot in the sink to fill with water.

"Yes ma'am," he said and scooped up the pitcher to bring it to Zelda. Halfway there he paused and went to a drawer by the sink, a grin on his lips Zelda was beginning to like seeing. He pulled out a long straw and walked over to her. "For you," he said as he set the pitcher down in front of her and popped the straw inside. Elena laughed and Zelda just shook her head.

"Am I drinking too much?" she asked and Ike tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Drink all you want, hence the straw. Mom makes tons of that stuff."

"It's true," Elena said with a smile. "I have two lemon trees out back and they are loaded with lemons this year. Go on ahead Zelda there's plenty to go around." Zelda smiled as she looked to Ike, her eyes roaming over him as he walked back to the sink.

"Can I help in any way?" she asked and they both turned to her.

"No," they said in unison, making her smile.

"You just sit tight," Elena said and Ike pointed at Zelda, a smile on his lips that she was definitely beginning to like.

"Listen to the lady," he said in a faux stern voice and she laughed, feeling that maybe, just maybe, she could be happy with him. A thought hit her. Maybe she could be happy with him for longer than a year. It scared her. Terrified her that a man she hadn't known for a day already had her thinking that maybe there could be more to her situation. She glanced in Ike's direction, watching him stir the pot of potatoes and she shook her head.

 **XXX**

 **I felt that was a good place to stop... Thanks to my review leaving badasses Qoh22 (the guest, whose name my phone despised me for typing and tried to autocorrect it ten times, Purple Mercenary (which my phone doesn't want to capatalize), FireEmblemNerd0909 (that's one long red line under that), and of course concisponci (which my phone still underlines but suggests the second I hit "c", which is better than if I type "f" the first suggestion is fuckbeans...) thank you for reading! Lemme know what you think, much love (as always) Leigh**


	5. Chapter 5

Dinner was ready, the smells intoxicating as Elena pulled the food from the oven, and Zelda felt her stomach rumble, leading to an embarrassingly loud growl that made Elena look her way. Zelda ducked her head and tried to quiet the noises her stomach was making but apparently it had other ideas. She felt mortified, having this happen was too much and she didn't want pity. "Here," Ike set a plate piled with food in front of her, Zelda belatedly realizing that she had been so focused on the noises that she missed Ike making a plate for her, "eat up." Zelda's mouth watered at the sight of so much food all meant for her. She had never had a meal like this, of that she was certain, and eagerly picked up her fork as Elena sat on one side of the small round table, Ike sitting between them with a happy sigh. She watched Ike scoop up a bite of mashed potatoes, a smile curling up the corner of her lips when he let out a little noise like a moan. "My potatoes are better Mom I'm sorry but that's how it is," he said and Elena gave him a look and rolled her eyes.

"Please, I taught you how to make them."

"And I embellished on the recipe, leading to superior potatoes," he said and looked to Zelda. "Take a bite and tell me those aren't the best things ever." Zelda smiled at him and obliged, not caring if the resulting noise from her sounded suggestive or not. She was officially in heaven, and she proceeded to eat all of her serving, moving to the roast that cut with barely any pressure from her fork.

"This is amazing," she said after she swallowed her last bite of roast. "I haven't had a meal this good in years, if ever."

"You want more?" Elena asked and Zelda looked at her curiously.

"I... can have more?" she asked softly and looked to Ike.

"Eat all you want," Elena said and Ike nodded.

"Yeah if you fill up on this, that leaves more pie for me," he said with a wink and Elena smacked his arm lovingly.

"Go get you however much you want," Elena said, the kindness in her voice making Zelda smile as she stood to do just that.

XxX

"Can I ask you something?" Ike asked as he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, looking over at Zelda as they sat at the red light.

"Of course," she said, looking to him with a soft smile as she shifted in the passenger seat.

"Earlier today... when you kissed me at the apartment and said you were just trying to go along with what I want," he took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel tightly, "what I mean to ask is didn't Marth say I'm not an asshole, that I'd never do something like that?"

"People can be different in front of other people," she mumbled, looking away from him and Ike felt his gut twist.

"Zelda..." he didn't know how to ask what he feared, but knew he had to know, "has someone made you do things like that?"

"I don't want to talk about that," she said and he reached over, taking her hand gently and lacing their fingers. She looked at their hands, Ike wondering what she was thinking.

"I can't erase the past," he said carefully, "but I can promise you that nothing like that will ever happen again okay?" He looked to her, watching her watch him for a moment as they drove along. "You have nothing to fear from me."

"Thank you," she whispered, the sound of tears heavy in her voice.

XxX

They made it back to the apartment, Zelda feeling better about her situation as Ike parked the truck and turned to look at her. Even in the near dark she could feel his eyes searching her face for a moment and she smiled at him. "I wasn't sure what to expect when Marth told me you agreed to his crazy idea... I didn't know if you were what he thought or not but after seeing you and your mother today I realized that I trust you," she said her words carefully and saw him grin. They were the truth, Zelda had little trust to share after the life she had been forced to live, but somehow in their short amount of time Ike had become someone she trusted.

"I can imagine that trust isn't something you give out easily," he said with a look of understanding, "so I'm honored to have that. Now let's get inside I'm sure you're tired." Zelda nodded with a smile and watched him get out of the truck, brain trying to process what exactly was going on in her own mind. He startled her by opening the door for her and she mumbled her thanks, reaching for his hand as he shut the door.

XxX

"Alright," Ike flicked on the light in his room, happy he had had the foresight to clean up before she arrived, "here's the bed and bathroom." He moved to a shut door and opened it, letting her walk into the tiled space and take in the sight of the shower, tub, and sink before he moved to the bed. He felt her eyes on him as he grabbed two of the four pillows and moved to the closet, opening it and pulling a dark red blanket from the top shelf.

"What are you doing?" she asked and he turned to her, balancing everything carefully in one arm as he nodded to the shirts in the closet.

"You can borrow a shirt to sleep in if you want, I'm going to crash on the couch."

"Ike I don't want to kick you out of your bed," she said and he watched a blush dust her cheeks.

"You're not," he said firmly and moved back to her. Without putting too much thought into it he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him gently, placing a soft kiss into her hair. "Goodnight Zelda," he added as he pulled away, walking out of the room without looking back.

XxX

Zelda stood there, stunned for a moment into stillness. There was no way he was this amazing for her. He was giving her his bed? She moved to his closet and ran a hand over his various shirts, smiling and shaking her head as she grabbed a dark blue one that was the same color as his hair. The sleeves were long, the printed letters fading with age, and she raised it to her nose to smell. The scent of detergent almost overpowered the smell of Ike, but not quite and she found herself smiling as she pulled her shirt off. Her pants joined her shirt on the floor and she pulled the long sleeved shirt on, smiling as it hung from her body loosely. Wrapped up in the warmth of her borrowed shirt, she stepped out to the living room, finding Ike with his back to her tossing his shirt from the day over the back of the recliner. She watched the muscles in his back as he worked his belt loose, her thinking she should say something to announce her presence when his pants pooled around his ankles, leaving her to stare at dark boxers and leaving her quite speechless as she stood there. He stepped out of his pants and turned, catching sight of her with a nervous chuckle.

"Hi," she said softly and watched his eyes skim down her body.

"I think I might like that shirt better on you," he said with a grin, "and that's saying something because that's my favorite shirt. You okay? Did you need something?"

"Yeah," she nodded and bit her bottom lip nervously. Heart pounding hard in her chest, Zelda moved to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head against his chest. With her ear against his bare skin she heard his heart thundering, which made her smile as she looked up at him. "Goodnight Ike," she said as she let him go, surprised to find herself kind of wanting him to follow her back to the bed.

 **XXX**

 **I'm on a roll with this one huh? Thank you for reading and thank you so much my review leaving awesome people Qoh22 (my phone didn't autocorrect but I feel it glaring at me), Purple Mercenary (my phone suggests mercenary if I type purple), and concisponci (my phone substituted your name for concise and that was a weird text I sent my boss. He was so confused). Anyway, lemme know what you think! Much love, Leigh!**


	6. Chapter 6

Zelda woke up, panic making her heart thunder. A blind hand reached immediately and instinctively for Link before she remembered where she was. When her eyes focused she found Ike shirtless at his closet, him pulling one of his shirts off the hanger. "Good morning," she mumbled and he whirled, a grin on his lips replacing his startled expression.

"Sorry I thought I was being quieter than that, didn't mean to wake you," he said softly, her smiling a small smile at him.

"It doesn't take much to wake me up," she said as she sat up, running a hand through her hair.

"I was just going to shower right quick," he explained as he motioned to the clothes in his hands. "Marth wants to go shopping to buy your brother some clothes and I thought, if you were up for it, we could go too."

"I-I can't afford clothes," she said and Ike nodded slowly.

"I know, I was going to buy you some. I can't afford to go crazy but I can buy the essentials and get you set up. Plus if we go with Marth he can actually point out what's in style because, as he's more than willing to point out, I don't understand the finer things in life." Zelda shook her head and stood up slowly, feet touching the soft carpet with a smile.

"I would like to go shopping," she said after a moment of wiggling her toes in the thick fibers, "I also really want to see Link."

"First night without him in awhile huh?" Ike asked and she nodded slowly. "Zelda... If you ever want to see him don't think for a second that I won't let you. I'd love to see my sister more so I understand in a way," she smiled up at him, nervously biting her lower lip. "Anyway I'm gonna shower and then we can grab breakfast or something alright?" she nodded and watched him walk to the bathroom, a smile on her lips as he shut the door.

XxX

Ike showered, trying not to let his mind wander to his new wife, but he found it hard to do as stood there under the hot water peppering his skin. She was so beautiful, so scared, so sweet... He shook thoughts forming in his brain of feelings growing towards her and finished his shower, turning off the water with a sigh. He stepped from the shower and began to dry himself off, rubbing the towel through his hair roughly. A light knock pulled him from his musings he'd be lying if he said weren't about pointed eared beauties, and he moved to the door.

"What's up?" he asked as he opened it a crack, trying to be slightly modest. She blushed and held out his ringing phone, him taking it with a mumbled thanks. "This is Ike," he said and stood there, watching Zelda's eyes flicker down what she could see of him.

"Ike, this is Snake," the gruff voice of his boss made him want to sigh. "I know you took time off for getting married to that girl but we had a fire last night and I need my good crew in to fix everything." Ike did sigh at that, pulling the phone from his lips.

"My boss needs me to come to work," he told Zelda who nodded, her eyes slightly worried. "Yeah Snake I'll be there."

"Thanks man, I owe you," he said and hung up.

"I'm sorry," Ike said as he lowered the phone, looking to his new wife who just shrugged.

"It's okay, I don't mind."

"You can still go with Marth and Link, that way you aren't stuck here all day by yourself," he offered and her eyes lit up, a smile coming to her lips. He wondered briefly if she thought he would make her stay there but shrugged it off and held out the phone. "Call Marth and tell him work had an emergency and I need to go in, I'll finish getting dressed." She took the phone carefully, an idea forming in Ike's brain as he watched he delicately tap the screen. He shut the door after a moment and turned back to his clothes, moving to get dressed quickly.

XxX

Zelda smiled when Link answered Marth's phone, his rough voice like music from the goddesses. "It's me," she said and pictured his smile.

"How'd you sleep last night?" he asked and she sighed as she sat cross legged on Ike's bed.

"Not too bad. Ike gave me his bed and slept on the couch so-"

"He was good to you then?" Link's question and brotherly tone made her smile.

"Better than I hoped," she reassured him. "Really Link you'd approve. Anyway he has to go to work but I'm still going with you guys so I guess I'll see you soon okay?"

"Okay Zelda," his voice sounded relieved, "we'll be there soon. Love you."

"Love you too," she ended the call and set the phone down on the bedspread, looking up to see Ike opening the bathroom door.

"Hey," he said in greeting, her looking him over with a small smile. He was wearing faded jeans and a worn shirt, a logo on it she didn't recognize.

"Where do you work?" she asked and he pointed to his shirt.

"Foxhound Oil Refinery," he said and she nodded, watching him go to a pair of oil stained work boots. "Not the best job in the world but," he paused as he slid his feet in, crouching to tie them, "it pays the bills and I'm working my way up." He straightened up after tying his boots, reaching into the back pocket of his jeans. "Here," he said as he pulled out his wallet, grabbing a blue plastic card, "use my credit card for buying your clothes." She took the card, him nodding as he slid his wallet back into his pocket.

"Thank you for this," she said as she stood up and he looked at her curiously. "Buying me clothes I mean."

"Well yeah," Ike said with a shrug, "it's not like I'd make you wear the same thing everyday and night. Look I'm not exactly swimming in extra cash but I'm not going to let you go without alright?" she nodded to his words, a blush she didn't understand crawling up her cheeks. "Anyway I need to get going but maybe I can join you guys for lunch. Sound good?"

"I'd like that," she said and he grinned. A moment stretched and she stepped up to him, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and she felt his lips press to her ear gently.

"Okay well they'll be awhile so you can shower if you want or something and I'll see you soon okay?" he asked as he pulled away and she nodded. "Alright," he paused before he turned around, going to walk from the room. She trailed after him, not really wanting him to go. The front door shut behind him and she sighed heavily as she leaned against the wall. How could she miss him so much already?

 **XXX**

 **My goal is to really crack down and churn out the chapters so I hope to be doing just that... Thank you for reading and a special thanks to my reviewers last chapter Helios. , Purple Mercenary, FireEmblemNerd0909, Qoh22, Greil'sMercenaryGirl, and concisponci! You guys make my day with the reviews. Seriously. The alerts are awesome. Anyway, let me know what you think. Much love, Leigh**


	7. Chapter 7

Ike walked into the main facility of the refinery, nose picking up the horrible stench of post-fire before he even saw the damage. His steps carried him mechanically over to the time clock to punch in, his boss walking over silently. "What happened?" he asked as he tapped on the screen.

"Well," Snake sighed heavily, the sound of him scratching his beard accompanying the noise, "no one's fessed up, you know how this goes, but I've checked the cameras and our idiot new hire lit a cigarette in the processing area and-"

"He lit a cigarette? Seriously?" Ike chuckled at the absurdity of the situation and looked over at Snake. "What kind of idiots are you hiring these days?"

"Hey now to be fair not everyone's got your brains," Snake said and Ike shook his head. "So we've got clean up and a helluva lot to do to get back on schedule."

"Lead the way boss," Ike said and Snake nodded, both men going down the hallway side by side.

"So," Snake cleared his throat and Ike knew what was coming next, "how's the wife?"

"Beautiful," Ike said with a shake of his head. "I mean this woman is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen Snake. She's gorgeous and-"

"Good in bed?" Snake asked and Ike gave him a look. "Don't bitchface me kid, it's a legitimate question. The one man in my employ that could fuck whoever he wanted gets married and-"

"I slept on the couch," Ike said and Snake's eyes widened. "She's been through a lot, the last thing I want is to be another dark spot in her life."

"Any other man would abuse their newfound power over her," Snake pointed out and Ike just shrugged.

"I couldn't. She's strong, just been through hell and I want her to be happy..." Ike pushed open the double doors leading to the processing area and coughed at the noxious fumes hanging heavily in the air. "Holy shit," he looked to Snake who held out a simple mask. Ike took it gratefully, sliding it over his face with a sigh. "Let's get this cleaned up."

XxX

Zelda hadn't been able to shower for as long as she wanted in a long time. She figured out the knobs and soon had the bathroom steamy as she stepped under the falling water. As the water washed over her she sighed, picking up a bottle and opening it. A sniff revealed the scent to be very masculine, a smile coming to her lips at the thought of smelling like Ike. She quickly washed her hair and body, loving how the bathroom now smelled so much like her new husband.

With a heavy sigh she finally shut the water off and climbed from the stall, her dripping hand grabbing the dry towel on the rack. "Zelda?" Link's voice made her smile and she wrapped the towel around herself tightly, flinging open the door to see him standing there.

"Link!" She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him as if she hadn't seen him in years.

"You smell like Ike," he said as he stepped from her embrace, her blushing a little.

"I guess we'll have to buy you some feminine smelling soap," Marth's voice made her look to the door. He stood by the entrance to the room, a smile on his lips as he looked over at them. "The little things like that never cross Ike's mind. So you're going shopping with us?"

"Yes," she nods and points back to the bathroom, "just let me get dressed right quick." Both her brother and his husband nodded and she stepped back into the bathroom, a hand already reaching for Ike's shirt she wore the night before to bed.

XxX

Zelda smiled at her brother as he stepped from the dressing room, his dark green shirt flattering on his thin frame. "How's this?" he asked self consciously.

"You look fantastic," Marth said happily in his seat beside Zelda and all she could do was nod in agreement. It did look good on him, that much was obvious. "Zelda you can try on whatever you want," he said encouragingly and she sighed as she stood up, eyes roaming over the offerings nervously.

She stepped away from her brother and his husband, wandering over to the women's section carefully. Jeans, shirts, jackets... suddenly she wished Ike was with her to tell her what was a necessity and not superfluous because she got the sinking suspicion that to Marth everything was necessary. A shirt caught her eyes, a dark purple long sleeve one with a vague black design on the front. She stepped over, wondering what size she would even wear. "Finding everything okay?" a blonde woman asked and Zelda couldn't help but shrug.

"I don't really know what I'm supposed to buy."

"Well," the woman motioned around her, "we carry everything... What do you need?"

"Honestly a little bit of everything," she admitted and the woman clapped her hands excitedly.

"Girl I envy you," she said and held out a hand. "My name's Peach and I'll help you get all set up. Now, it's coming up on cold weather around here so long sleeves, a couple short sleeves, jeans are a must, and one light jacket. What's your favorite style?"

"I've never really been in a position to know," she admitted and the woman pursed her lips.

"Oh honey..." she said with a sigh, "well don't you worry about a thing, I have an eye for fashion and I'll get you in what looks good. Your boyfriend is going to love-"

"My husband," she said and Peach awwed. "We just got married."

"That's so sweet! Congratulations!" Zelda smiled and blushed, wishing the woman's enthusiasm was more appropriate.

XxX

In no time Zelda had spent a little more than three hundred dollars, hoping that she hadn't spent too much. Now she was sitting at a booth with Marth and Link, her eyes on the door as they waited on Ike to join them. He had called Marth five minutes ago, them agreeing on a place. Finally he came in the door, his eyes landing on them. Zelda noticed he had a bag in his hands, her wondering what it was.

"Ike!" Marth waved and Ike grinned, sitting beside Zelda with a sigh.

"Hey," he said in greeting, looking to her with a gleam in his eyes she liked, "how was shopping?"

"Very productive," Zelda said and Ike nodded.

"Good. I got you something," he said and held out the bag. Zelda took it and opened it eagerly, pulling out a phone box curiously. "It's a phone, that way you can call me at work or Link whenever you want to." Zelda felt tears prick her eyes and she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you," she said into his ear and blushed as she pulled back.

"Anything for you," he said and she took his hand under the table, squeezing his fingers before letting go. "So," Ike cleared his throat and looked at the couple across from them, Zelda noting the slight bit of red tinging his cheeks, "how's married life Marth?"

"Fantastic," Marth said, casting loving eyes to Link.

"You guys are disgustingly sweet," Ike said with a chuckle and looked to Zelda. "At least we aren't that bad."

"Yet," Marth whispered and Ike shot him a look before he picked up his menu, not denying anything.

XxX

Zelda smiled as she twirled in front of Ike that evening in her new nightgown, him sitting on the couch in a pair of dark grey sweatpants. "Do you like it?" she asked and he nodded.

"It looks great," he said with a smirk and she blushed as his eyes roamed down her body. "Though I gotta admit I like my shirt better on you."

"Maybe I'll wear it again," she said with a shrug and he shook his head. "What are you doing?"

"Just watching tv until I'm ready to pass out," he motioned to the screen before him. "You wanna join me?"

"Sure," Zelda walked over to him and sat down beside him, him shifting to better accommodate her sitting beside him. She leaned on him lightly, loving when his arm wrapped around her shoulder. "I had fun today, thank you for letting me use your card."

"You needed stuff," he shrugged and Zelda leaned on him more, "I'm glad you got it. Thanks for being so understanding about work needing me."

"Anytime," she said and carefully looked up at him. He was watching the show, a tiny smirk on his lips. Soon she felt sleep creeping up on her, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. This was nice, sitting on the couch with Ike, mindlessly watching tv while they semi cuddled. Her head rested against his chest and he chuckled.

"You sleepy?" he asked and she nodded against his chest, not wanting to move. "Come on, let's get you to bed." He stood up, helping her to her feet, and together they walked to the bedroom, him pulling back the covers and easing her down to the bed. "Here we go," he said softly, pulling the covers up to her chin.

"Why're you so nice to me?" she asked sleepily and he chuckled as he leaned over her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Because I happen to like you," he said and she hummed as he turned to leave the room. "Goodnight night my wife," he said as he shut the door, Zelda smiling as she settled into the pillows.

 **XXX**

 **Cuteness overload! Ha anyway thanks for reading. And a special thanks to my reviewers last chapter FireEmblemNerd0909, Approaching Dawn, Greil'sMercenaryGirl, and Darth Spooky (the guest and my babe, I love you!) anyway, let me know what you think! Much love, Leigh**


	8. Chapter 8

Zelda woke up with a gasp, sweat covering her forehead as she blindly reached for Link in the dark. After not finding him she remembered where she was, an ocean away from her home country, married to a decent man. Said decent man poked his head in the doorway, concern written across his features Zelda could see in the near dark. "You okay?" he asked carefully and she nodded.

"Just a... a nightmare," she said with a sigh, hating to sound so childish in front of him. He stepped towards the bed, sitting on the side and looking at her with worried eyes.

"Anything you want to talk about?" he asked carefully and she shook her head, taking his hand in hers. She laced their fingers, listening to his breathing for a moment before he surprised her and pulled her into his arms. "I don't know what you've been through Zelda, but I promise I'll keep you safe." His words washed over Zelda's pointed ears and she smiled into his chest, feeling safer than she had in a long time. Without saying a word she laid down, her arms still wrapped around him. He laid down next to her, holding her close and Zelda breathed out a sigh of content as sleep moved in to take her once more.

XxX

Ike growled out a curse as his alarm went off, his eyes flying open as he realized there was a warm body wrapped snugly around his. He looked down at Zelda, her looking up at him with a shy smile. "Hey," he whispered and sat up slowly, missing her body heat the second he was.

"Good morning," she responded, sitting up as well. Ike leaned his shoulder against hers lightly, unsure what to say. Did she remember having a nightmare the night before? From what he'd heard waking up next to a man might not be what she wanted.

"I'm-"

"Thank you for holding me last night," she said softly, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Well it wasn't exactly off putting," he said and heard her soft laugh. He pulled his phone from his pocket and shut off the intruding alarm with a sigh. "I gotta get ready for work," he said, realizing he really didn't want to go. He wanted to stay right where he was, in his bed holding her.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked and he looked down at her in confusion.

"Nothing. You can just chill all day, maybe call Link and see if he's free and you can go over there-"

"I'd like that," Zelda spoke quickly and Ike nodded with a knowing smile.

"Call him while I'm in the shower. If he says yes then I can drop you off." With that he got up, trying not to read too much into her sigh as he went to the bathroom door.

XxX

Marth traipsed around his and Link's spacious apartment, getting dressed for work lazily as usual. He hated leaving Link all alone during the day but the morons his father had hired couldn't run the company without him. With a heavy sigh he slipped on his dress shoes and turned to find Link standing there in nothing but a pair of dark green sweatpants, his blue eyes running over him greedily.

"See something you like?" Marth teased and Link walked up to him, grabbing his arms to pull him close. Marth sighed against his husband's chest, content to stay there all day.

"I don't want you to go," Link said, pulling a pout to his lips that Marth found achingly hard to resist.

"I know baby but I need to," he said with a pout of his own. "I can make it up to you later," he added, watching for the lustful look he loved to see in Link's eyes. He wasn't disappointed, and soon found his husband's lips colliding with his. Marth smiled into the kiss, deftly avoiding Link's fingers going for his belt buckle. His phone rang and Marth answered it without looking, his eyes locked on his husband practically screaming at him to keep his hands to himself.

"Hello?" He paused for a moment, slightly taken aback by Zelda's voice asking if Link was there. "Hang on honey," he held out the phone with a small smile. "Talk to your sister you insatiable man." Link grabbed the phone quickly and put it to his ear, Marth just happy he could get ready to go without fingers and hands he couldn't resist making him late.

"Babe is it okay if Zelda comes over? Ike offered to drive her here," Link's hopeful tone made Marth smile.

"Of course it is," he said and Link gave him a quick peck on the lips before confirming to his sister that she could come over.

XxX

Link paced nervously the second Marth left as he waited on his sister to show up. He was happy to be married to Marth, more so than he had ever hoped to dream in his entire life, but not seeing Zelda every day was taking it's toll on him. He was so used to her quiet company, surviving together despite impossible odds... He glanced out the window, his face lighting up with a smile to see Ike's truck pull up. He peeked out the window, watching Ike hop out and get the door for her, watched their hug goodbye, and noted her hands lingering on his chest when he turned to get back in the truck. Link smirked to himself, realizing he was witnessing the first time his sister had shown any kind of interest in a man in her life. His eyes looked Ike over as he climbed back in the truck, his sister already heading into the building. The man seemed like a good one, in his limited experience with him.

A knock on the door pulled him from his musings and he ran over to the door as fast as his long legs could carry him. He opened the door and smiled warmly at his blushing sister, throwing his arms around her and pulling her to him. "Hi to you too," she laughed as she wrapped her arms around him in return. He pulled her into the apartment and kicked the door closed, not letting go of her the whole time. "Link," she said his name in a gentle tone and he realized he was still holding onto her for dear life with a sigh.

"Sorry, it's still taking some getting used to... Waking up and you're not there." She nodded in understanding, him noticing her biting her lip like she had something to say. "What is it?" he asked gently, knowing his sister well enough to know when she'd keep something to herself if not prodded.

"I had a nightmare last night," Zelda admitted in a soft voice and Link's brow furrowed. "I woke up and Ike came into the room... He held me and told me that he'd keep me safe." She smiled up at Link and he raised an eyebrow.

"Falling for your husband?" he teased and she slapped his arm lightly. "I thought love was for fools like me."

"It is," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm just happy he's a good man."

"I saw you hug him when he dropped you off... Well I noticed the hand lingering on his chest," he dodged the slap aimed for his arm and beamed at her. "Come on my dear sister it's completely normal to-"

"I do like him," she cut him off, her eyes roaming around the expensive decorations. "He's a good man, not a lot of means, but a good heart."

"Yes I did notice that I seduced the rich one," Link teased with a smile.

"Indeed, now you're a wonderfully well kept house husband," she taunted and he narrowed his eyes. "It's been a long time since we've been able to joke about something so trivial." Link took note of her sad tone and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Having a home is a basic necessity, one we haven't had in a very long time. I'm glad we're both happy in our places here."

"Me too," Zelda said as she stepped from his arm. He watched her walk to the massive leather couch and sit gently, obviously slightly uncomfortable in the posh place.

"It's a little much right?" he asked and she laughed as she nodded.

"I don't mind not being married to the rich one if this is what you have to deal with," she said and slapped the couch next to her. "Come sit and regale me with tales of your married life and I'll tell you of mine." Link smiled as he sat beside her, feeling for the first time since they arrived overseas like he was at home.

XxX

Ike smirked at his boss as he clocked out for lunch, the man growling out orders into his phone before he hung up. "What's all that about?" he asked and Snake huffed.

"Damn upper management people think because we had a fire yesterday now we should be able to have everything not only up and running but be back on schedule. I had to chew on a few asses to get us where we are and that's still not good enough. Damn suits don't get it." Ike shook his head as he finished clocking out.

"They never do," he said and moved to leave.

"How's the wife?" Snake asked and Ike turned around, walking backwards to the doors.

"Beautiful," he said and Snake shook his head.

"You got it bad boy," he said and Ike turned back around, raising a middle finger as he pushed open the doors to the hot midday sun.

XxX

Zelda listened to her favorite person in the world gush about his husband and his new life, feeling an odd sense of jealousy at the loving tone in his voice when he mentioned Marth. The jealousy wasn't for losing her place as the most important person in his life, but rather because she wanted to feel that way with someone else.

The thought hit her and she felt a brief moment of panic. She, who had always sneered at the notion of love aside from familial, had found herself in position to change that. Attachments were dangerous, something to not have when you were on the run and hiding or stealing an apple from a wilting tree to eat. Now though? Her life was drastically different. Here she had stability, a constant roof over her head, and... Ike. Ike, even thinking about the never ending kindness he showed her made a fond smile come to her lips. He had been nothing less than a gentleman and she had expected the worst. She'd lived through the worst, having been caught once when sneaking into a house to steal food for her and Link. For a long time she didn't want to know the exact length of, she had been used and abused, wanting a death that wouldn't come. Then one day, just like that, the bastard owner of the home had tossed her on the street, knowing full well that even if she reported the crimes against her nothing would come of it. She had almost expected the same from Ike. Here she was, a stranger in a foreign land... He could've done anything to her and yet he'd done nothing.

The phone in her pocket chimed a happy little tune and she pulled it out, a smile coming to her lips to see Ike was calling her. "Hello?" she answered, hoping her tone was casual.

"Hey it's me, how's Link?" His voice was so happy Zelda felt her smile growing.

"He's great, we're sitting in his pompous living room talking about Marth."

"All good things I hope," he teased and she looked to Link before standing up.

"Of course, nothing but a glowing report of adoration," she said and Ike chuckled.

"Well it'd be pretty sad if it was all one sided," he said and Zelda smiled into the phone. "I'm on lunch break," he said after a moment. "Do you have food there or do you maybe wanna grab a bite with me?" he asked so carefully Zelda couldn't help but smile at his tone.

"Are you asking your wife on a lunch date?" she asked and he chuckled, the sound warm and a little nervous.

"If you wanna call it that... It might be kinda nice to pretend we didn't skip the normal things," he said and Zelda bit her lips together.

"What normal things?" she asked and he chuckled.

"Dating for awhile before we're married," he said and she laughed.

"Lunch sounds perfect."

"Awesome. I don't have time for a fancy meal but I can grab a bite at a fast food place. I'll pick you up in fifteen alright?"

"Okay," she said and hung up, turning to see Link with an obnoxiously happy smirk on his lips. "Shut up," she warned and he beamed at her.

"I didn't say a word," he taunted as he relaxed on the fancy couch. Zelda rolled her eyes and sat beside him, wishing she wasn't smiling like an idiot.

 **XXX**

 **I'm sorry this update took awhile! I hit a serious case of writer's block and none of my stories were talking to me... I started a new one to help and boom, got my muse back (I need a new one, this one is a fickle bitch). Anyway, lemme know what you think! Much love, Leigh**


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